Prayer gives access to RuneScape gold protective and offensive abilities critical for Ironman survivability, especially in bossing and quests. Here's how to train it early:

Bury all bones you collect from chickens, cows, goblins, and other creatures.

As you unlock more GP and Construction, build a Gilded Altar in your POH with burners for faster training.

Use Ectofuntus for early high XP gains if you're willing to grind slime and bone dust.

You'll want to hit level 43 for Protect from Melee as soon as you reasonably can—it will make many bosses and quest fights manageable.

Combine Skills for Efficiency

Time is precious in Ironman mode. Whenever possible, train multiple skills at once to reduce downtime and increase productivity.
Examples:

Fish and Cook: Cook what you catch immediately.

Chop and Burn: Train Woodcutting and Firemaking together.

Kill and Loot: Fight enemies that give both useful resources (bones, hides, herbs) and combat XP.

Mine and Smelt: Use the ores you mine right away to smith armor.

Also, make use of early-game tools and gear that improve your gathering speed—upgrade your axes, pickaxes, and fishing rods as soon as possible.

Unlock Key Locations and Resources

Gaining access to critical areas can streamline your Ironman journey immensely:

Fairy Rings – Unlocked via Fairytale II - Cure a Queen. Offers fast travel across Gielinor.

Ardougne Cloak 1 – Easy teleport to Ardougne Monastery and good early prayer bonuses.

Glory Amulet (via crafting or dragons) – Offers teleports to key locations.

Player-Owned House – Build it as soon as possible for easy teleports, banking alternatives (especially for UIM), and fast skill training.

Prepare for Mid-Game Goals Early

Planning your progression helps avoid wasted time and resources later on. As you near the mid-game, start preparing for:

Barrows – One of the best places for Ironmen to get top-tier combat gear. Prepare by raising combat stats and Prayer.

Slayer – Begin training it early. It's the best long-term skill for acquiring high-tier items, gear, and boss access.

Farming – Even basic herb patches will save you thousands of RS gold hours hunting for potion ingredients.

Construction – Even at level 50–60, POH unlocks give major utility and teleports.